Sunshine final rule has pros and cons for industry

The final rule to implement the Sunshine provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which will be published in the Federal Register Feb. 8, “has pluses and minuses,” according to John Kamp, Executive Director, Coalition for Healthcare Communication. The biopharma industry has waited more than a year for the final rule, which calls for manufacturers to start collecting data on funds provided to physicians and teaching hospitals on Aug. 1. The final rule “ends the uncertainty we’ve lived under since the proposed rule was issued in December 2011 and removes some of the meaningless requirements to report every bagel and cup of coffee offered at general meetings,” Kamp said, “but it also states that many routine products and services provided to physicians as part of reasonable and beneficial collaborative relationships are reportable.” Read more.